ZOMGBicycles!

Ride bikes every day.

2011-02-26T11:27:00.001-05:00

http://www.explosm.net/comics/2317/

Advice I need to follow.

Human error, continued

2010-07-30T23:43:00.001-04:00

After much delay with my original plans to get the Lady Raleigh her new rear wheel, it finally seemed like it was going to happen yesterday. The shop had ordered my new Sun CR-18 26 x 1-3/8" alloy rim (foreshadowing!), and I was excited to see the whole process. (For anyone interested in reading about what's involved in wheel-building, Sheldon Brown can of course explain it better than I can.)

First, we had to free the Lady's Sturmey-Archer hub from the old wheel by snipping all the spokes with a heavy duty wire cutter.

Can you see the ones that I snipped?

Here's a close-up of some of the worst rust on this rim. I bought the bike from a little old lady who said that she kept it up at her vacation house in Maine; now I wonder if I should have asked if that was on dry land or actually in the ocean...

Next, we pulled out all the remaining spoke bits and measured the hub so we could calculate the spoke lengths.

Once we had our spoke length (which I think was 190 mm?), we began to prepare the new spokes by dipping their ends in Spoke Prep, helpfully left over from a previous customer's expensive wheel build.

We then began lacing the rim to the hub, when (can you guess? can you guess?) we discovered that whoever placed the order had got a 36-hole rim instead of the 40 holes needed to match up to the mid-1960s Sturmey-Archer hub. Sigh.

I really like Quad Bikes. They're so nice and unassuming, they're a nonprofit business, and they frequently don't charge me anything for the little jobs I stop in for. The guy helping me was super embarrassed, since he was also the one who cut down my kickstand the day before. But just a patch of bad luck. A misjudgment here, a careless mouse click there; really, these things can happen to anyone. I still like Quad Bikes.

So now I wait for a 40-hole rim, and the Lady Raleigh just waits.

Side note #1: Opinions on what color tires I should get for when all of this is done? Stick with the gum wall (very mid-century)? Jazz it up with white walls (which would pick up the white on the rear fender)? Go for plain black, or black with reflex? For whatever reason, cream tires just aren't speaking to me on this one.

Side note #2: On kickstands, instead of another Pletscher, we're trying the Porteur Double Kickstand from Velo Orange.

Adjustable legs mean no saws necessary, so hopefully there will be no problems this time...

Sweat and setbacks

2010-07-29T18:06:00.000-04:00

There's been a lot of human error in my bicycle dealings over the last week and a half.

First: Kickstand self-installation
Here is a picture of an environment that is not conducive to calm or joyful bicycle work:


not well thought out

What you can't see in the photo is how hot in was in my living room or the actual puddle of sweat that formed underneath my body. The kickstand plate is in such an awkward little spot, and I didn't have an Allen key that was quite the right size or that could easily be maneuvered in the space. I just couldn't get the kickstand to sit correctly, and things kept slipping out of place and keeping me from being able to properly screw everything together. It was a frustrating attempt to do something that seemed like it was going to be incredibly simple, and it made me so angry that I didn't even want to look at the kickstand or think about anything bicycle-related for about a week.

Second: Bike shop installation
Once I stopped being mad, I took things over to Quad Bikes to let someone else take care of it for me. I have to admit, I was a little bit pleased that even there, with the repair stand and all the right tools, it still took some wrangling to get the kickstand attached; but it did get attached. Then came time to cut down the legs. They had a nice little circular saw, and the kickstand had pre-marked notches for height adjustments, so this seemed like it would be straightforward. We cut once, but it was still a little bit too tall. Then we cut again, and it looked like the right side was a little bit taller than the left, so we needed to cut a little bit more off to even it out. Then it still looked a little high. Can you guess what happened next? Of course, we cut again, and when we got the bike on the ground, it began to tip first to one side, then the other. Too short. Sigh. Who knew this would be so difficult? So the shop is ordering a new one, and fingers crossed, third time will be the charm.

Coming up: Part I of the Lady Raleigh's new wheel. Here's a sneak peek:

What's do we have here?

2010-07-20T08:18:00.001-04:00

Oh, hello!

Legs crossed, so demure.

Now let's get your shoes on!

Whoa.

Hello, yellow

2010-07-18T06:26:00.000-04:00

Summer must be bringing out the yellow bicycles! This one was just outside my window at work on Friday, and every time I caught a glimpse of these bright fenders, my day got a little bit sunnier.

I've gone back and forth on gum wall tires in the past, but with this particular reddy-yellow frame, they look just about perfect-- almost like the bike had its rims painted to match. They tie in nicely with the handlebar grips as well, and then the black saddle picks up the black in the tires and the pedals. Nice work, yellow bicycle!

Separation anxiety

2010-07-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

I might be a little bit paranoid, but when I'm out and about, it's a million times easier for me to relax and enjoy what I'm doing if I can keep an eye on my bike.

The view was a lot better than the "savory bread pudding."

When I started riding in December, I could have my pick of the racks and signposts just about anywhere I went, and priority parking was pretty easy to come by. With the onset of warmer weather, naturally, bicycle parking has become rather more difficult, and it's not often I get such a clear sight line to my Frida.

I didn't realize just how much this would bother me until the other day when I was at another cafe, again sitting at a window counter but with my bike parked across the street. It was almost completely hidden behind a Mini Cooper-- funny when you think about how gigantic Frida is for a bicycle and how tiny the Mini is for a car (unless of course you're in Italy, in which case a Mini Cooper will start to look like an SUV). I was trying to read but found myself looking up every minute or two and straining to see if I could still make out a saddle through the Mini's windows. As if this weird compulsion weren't bad enough on its own, about ten minutes after I sat down, this red truck double-parked just a few cars down, with a jumble of at least three bicycles tossed haphazardly in its bed. Eep! Why do you have so many bicycles back there? And why are they all tangled up like that? What are you doing?!

It just sat there, idling, for the next 20 minutes, while I began to have visions of a team of organized bike thieves creeping up and down Mass Ave hidden behind a screen of parked cars, snapping U-locks and reporting back to the truck with their loot. Perhaps I was extra jittery from the espresso, but even after the truck eventually pulled away, I wasn't too anxious to linger about while my bicycle was still out there all alone, potentially in danger!

Sigh. I think if I have children someday, I might end up being one of those moms with the kid-leashes.

Cats and bicycle accessories

2010-07-15T00:51:00.003-04:00

My sister decided to go the Hello Kitty route for her new bicycle bell. Appropriately, one of her cats decided to say hello.

I think kitty approves.

Also, I was very pleased to see her apartment now populated by bicycle-ish things like shellac and Wald folding baskets. All very good; but melonaute, you had better have yourself a headlight by now, or else!!!

Stopping by the park on a cooler evening

2010-07-12T22:48:00.007-04:00

As you may have heard, it's been hot. Really, really, disgustingly hot. Just as many people will look out on a snowy day and think, "no way I'm bicycling in that kind of weather," I see 90-degree temperatures in my 10-day forecast and die a little on the inside. (To be honest, my tolerance for heat is even lower than this. I get anxious as soon as numbers beginning with 8 start to show up.) Among other things, this has negatively affected my progress on Part 3 of the Let's Go Ride a Bike Summer Games. "Covering new territory" has been pretty low on my list of Things That Seem Appealing When I'm Already So Effing Sweaty. I've still been riding to get places I need to go, since it is better than walking in the heat, but my extracurricular activities have been heavily curtailed as I retreat to an underpants-and-popsicles existence.

Coming to my bicycle after work today, though, it was one of those instances when you put your feet on the pedals, and it just feels so good. I didn't have the most time to detour, but I did take a long-er way home. There's a left turn about halfway through my regular route that is the perfect off-ramp for nights when I decide on the spur of the moment that I'm not ready to go home yet and just want to toodle around a bit. Tucked among the quiet side streets is a small gated park (which happens to be in Lovely territory) that I've walked by a million times but never entered. I was about to glide by again when it occurred to me that it was sort of ridiculous that I'd never gone in, especially since I lived directly across the street from it for a year. So we went.

The sign on the gate said No Bicycles; but I wasn't planning on riding, and Frida promised to be on her best behavior. The tall trees always made the park seem dark and secretive when I would pass by. It was sunny today, but inside, it still felt shadowy and hidden away from the rest of the neighborhood. I know a lot of people take their dogs through, but today it was empty, and very, very quiet.

Frida blends right in.

Actually, even though I'd never entered the park before today, it's the setting of one of my favorite Cambridge moments: The year I was living across the street was my first year of architecture school-- a year notorious for keeping students in studio almost nonstop, at least partially so they can be broken down into itsy bitsy architecture pieces that will theoretically be molded into great big architecture geniuses by the end of their training (I remain unconvinced by this methodology). I was walking home one night/morning in the spring on one of those nights where you first notice that the air doesn't feel so cold and you don't have to walk fast anymore. It was probably around 4:30 or 5, and as I made my way, barely awake, through this neighborhood of enormous, dark, silent houses, I found myself suddenly surrounded by birdsong. It was as if I had stepped into a bubble that was full of nothing but singing birds, with no other noises to interfere, and it was so incredibly loud that the sound almost started to feel tangible. Every minute of sleep I got that year was precious and jealously guarded, but I had to stop. I just stood in the middle of the street, listening and feeling like I was in a dream. I'd never heard anything like it, and no matter how many times I passed by the same spot at the same hour, I never heard it again. I like to imagine now that every one of those trees in the park was covered, branch by branch, with birds, and they'd all just woken up at the same moment and were really excited about it.

No birds today, though. Just me and Frida in the park.

Wedge issues

2010-07-09T17:03:00.000-04:00

As others have noted, biking in heels is a lot easier than walking in them. Not easier? Biking in platform wedges. Obviously, right? I mean, just look:

There's a solid inch of cork under the toe there. But apparently, I needed to try this out for myself to be sure.

It's par for the course for women's fashion that the rare pair of heels that is actually, miraculously easy to walk in would have to be difficult to cycle in. Whereas your average pair of high heels makes me feel like the balls of my feet are being continually stabbed with flaming knives if I try to wear them for more than ten minutes, these are notably flame-stabbingness-free thanks to the platforms. I knew this extra height would affect the ride once I got on the bike, but I seriously underestimated just how much.

The problems were apparent almost immediately. It felt like I was riding a bicycle that was two sizes too small, and it was hard to really feel the pedals, which was disturbing and uncomfortable. My legs felt incredibly inefficient; starting from a stop was touchy; and I think my balance was generally a little bit off. All of that from just one little inch! Once again, I'm learning how sensitive bicycle geometries can be to the smallest of adjustments, and an inch here is no small thing.

Still, my ride to work is very, very short, so I didn't want to take the time to go back for other shoes or stop to adjust the saddle height and instead just wobbled along, feeling kind of foolish. It was non-fun.

not excited to ride home

The one upside was that I did find it considerably easier to put a toe down at red lights, which was especially helpful for me since I'm trying to train myself to stop automatically hopping off my bike whenever I come to a stop. I don't know why I started doing that, but it's been a really hard habit to break and it makes me feel amateurish, particularly if I'm sitting out in an intersection waiting to make a left turn. So then, these were good as "training toes," though that was about it for positives, bicycle-wise.

In short, this is what I learned today: don't bike in platform wedges. Just don't. I do not think you will enjoy it.

Plans for the Lady?

2010-07-02T13:54:00.001-04:00

a shot from the Lady's very short stay at home

For the past few weeks, the Lady Raleigh has been sitting in storage at Quad Bikes while I tried to think of what to do about her decrepit real wheel. There was a brief but thrilling moment where it seemed that there might be salvation from California, with dear reader Corey K. offering to check out what appeared to be a Raleigh rim with Sturmey-Archer hub in place; but it was not to be.* Then there was an inquiry with a local craigslist bike guy, who happened to have a like-new rim from a 1960s Raleigh Sports that he could give me; but he ended up advising that if I were going to be rebuilding the rear wheel anyway, I might as well upgrade to an alloy rim to up my braking power.

So it's finally happening on Thursday. The Lady Raleigh will be getting a brand new Sun CR-18 alloy rim, and I get to come watch! I really wanted to try doing it myself with the wheel-building class at Broadway Bicycle School, but you have to have completed their advanced course first, and they don't even have another wheel-building class scheduled for the rest of the summer. Plus, the advanced class seems like it would be perfect for the Lady Raleigh herself, since it covers wheel truing and overhauling the headset and rear hub; so it would be good to have her up and running for when that starts in August.

I have a lot more to say about the basic class that I'm taking at Broadway (short answer is: I love it!), but just wanted to give a quick update on the Lady's health for now.

*Here's Corey K.'s hilarious summing up of the encounter:

"He was a bike guy- in too good of shape, and too clean-cut to be a fixie-kid hipster. I don't know if it was ignorance or malice. But the Craigslist rim in question, while in decent enough shape, was a 27 x 1 1/4 rim like a '70s 10-speed would have. Bah!"

Typically Cambridge

2010-07-02T01:47:00.000-04:00

The workaday milk crate

the dinged-up paint job

the barebones lighting scheme

finished with a dash of well-worn elegance and European charm.

Just a peek...

2010-06-29T21:17:00.001-04:00

... at my sister's new bicycle! I've literally been begging for photographs and finally got a few precious snaps. Anyway, here it is, with the man-bike (and man-owner) visible in the background, before getting some final work done at Recycle-a-Bicycle:

Just look at that Brooklyn hipster back there. Can you believe he didn't already have a bicycle?!

Love the white inset on the head tube, and the gum wall tires nicely pick up the gold of the Phillips lion head badge.

Speaking of head badges, the man-bike comes with a rather jaunty one of its own:

My sister and her boyfriend got to pick these bikes out of what sounds like an awesome, giant warehouse, where they also came across a huge fleet of some 200 Batavi:

Apparently, Recycle-a-Bicycle received these as a donation but only to be used as rentals, not sales. That's too bad because they are kind of cute, in a modern, imagine-the-Entrada-Spirit-had-a-baby-with-the-BUB kind of way.

I'll be heading to New York for the holiday weekend, where I will see if I can successfully ride the man-bike and hope to visit some cool bicycle shops (suggestions?). That is, unless it's as hot as it is in Boston right now, in which case I will just eat popsicles and scowl all weekend long. We'll see!

Monday, why can't you be more like Friday?

2010-06-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

Today is, in a word, totally disgusting-- oh, snap! So disgusting it needs two words! Anyway, it's hot. It's incredibly humid. And there have been threats of severe thunderstorms all day, which, somehow, are not predicted to cool things down much at all. I often face a rather stubborn headwind on one stretch of my commute to work; today, it was just as stubborn except it was also BURNING HOT. Ugh. I ended up scrapping my after-work plans to conduct both business and pleasure excursions around town due to the aforementioned disgustingness and also a vague fear of being struck by lightning on my steel bicycle (Question: how valid is this fear?), and instead, I rushed home to guiltily turn on my window a/c, take off my pants, and eat too much of a $15 block of torrone.

It's hard to remember just how gorgeous it was only a few days ago on Friday:

Perfect weather, the gently sinking sun, the river, a book, and a bicycle. I will have it again! Just not today.

ZOMG It's Caturday!

2010-06-26T10:11:00.001-04:00

(Paws, you guys!)

Why it took me five years to buy a bike

2010-06-25T10:09:00.004-04:00

[Soundtrack for this post is reader's choice: David Bowie or Noah and the Whale]

I moved to Cambridge to start grad school five years ago [unrelated: yikes] but didn't buy a bicycle until this past December, despite the fact that Cambridge is such a bicycle commuting city and I wasn't ever planning on having a car. I thought about it; I said I ought to do it; but I never did it. Looking back, I can't help but lament the wasted bicycling potential of those years and wonder why the heck it took me so long to get with the program.

My reasons for not buying a bicycle were pretty common, and anyone who's reading this will already know the answers to my arguments; but all the same, here they are:

1. I hadn't had a bicycle since I was about 13, and even then, I hadn't really been riding much for my last few years of bicycle ownership. I grew up in a typical suburban environment, where the high school had an enormous parking lot since kids who lived less than a mile away would still drive. So it had been a long, long, long time since I'd been comfortable on a bike. You never forget how to ride a bike? I wasn't convinced.
Answer: It turns out that even if my first few rides had a few shaky starts, it's true; you really don't forget, particularly when you ride an upright bicycle which keeps your center of gravity at basically the same place as if you were standing.

2. The gear. Not only would I have to purchase a bicycle, but then I'd also have to worry about all of this extra stuff-- locks and helmets and little blinkie things that you clip to your bag and reflective ankle straps and vests and detachable wheels that you carry inside with you, and then what if something were to break? It all looked so foreign and overwhelming (and expensive), and I felt like grad school was enough to worry about, so why would I want to add one more thing to stress about?
Answer: Again, the choice of bicycle made a big difference. Since I went with a Dutch-style bike, I was choosing something that was designed to be more or less stress-free, with its internally geared hub and quick-release nothing and covered chain. No pant cuff rolling, no wheel or saddle carrying, no Lance Armstrong racing helmets required. Just get on and go and carry on with your life. It's actually made my life less stressful, since it's so much easier to get around and I no longer have to spend time planning out elaborate bus and train routes and then waiting for them to show up.

3. I always lived within 10-15 minutes walking distance from school, so it seemed like it wouldn't really save me any time to ride a bike once you considered the time it would take to carry the bike outside and then lock it up or unlock it and put on/take off all the biking gear. So I just walked. It seemed easier and just as efficient for the mostly short trips I was taking.
Answer: While I do like walking and love living in a city where it is possible to get to many of the places I need to go on foot, it is just so much easier to bike. In the winter, you end up spending less time out in the cold, even if it does take time to lock up, etc.; and in the summer especially, my feet are so much happier. I think I may have particularly wimpy feet, so even flat shoes-- ballet flats, Keds, strappy sandals-- would leave me blistered and bloody when walking those distances. (It should go without saying the heels were an impossibility.) Plus, the brick sidewalks around town will chew up a shoe faster than you can say "$15 heel replacement." Pedaling suffers none of these problems.

4. Related to the gear issue, there was the clothing. And I don't just mean spandex racing suits-- those were obviously out of the question. But would I be able to cycle in a skirt? What if I were wearing low-rise jeans-- would my butt be showing when I bent over to pedal? Would I have to plan out cycling-friendly outfits every time I wanted to go somewhere by bike? I didn't want to buy a messenger bag or a backpack and, as mentioned before, the pants rolling thing just seemed weird.
Answer: Again, choosing a Dutch bike makes all of these concerns irrelevant. A step-through frame and an upright riding position mean that skirts and the hip-huggingest of pants are all okay, even if you may occasionally want to wear some precautionary shorts. And racks, baskets, and panniers mean that you can carry your things in whatever kind of bag you please, and not only that, but you can carry more things farther.

5. The biggest thing that kept me from riding was fear of cars. Since I was a child in my previous cycling life, I rode on the sidewalk; and since I lived in a suburban neighborhood, there were very few people on the sidewalks, so it was clear sailing. Riding in the street seemed dangerous and scary, and to be honest, the helmets only made it seem even scarier. I didn't know if I could do it.
Answer: Getting comfortable riding in the street just takes time, though actually not as much time as I had expected. Part of that is being lucky enough to live in a place where there are a lot of cyclists on the road, so cars are more used to dealing with them and it's a little bit easier to find your place in the system. As Velouria from Lovely Bicycle! detailed in a recent post, you just keep going where you need to go and slowly expanding the areas to which you're willing to travel, and before you know it, it simply doesn't feel like a big deal any more. Even though I was actually hit by a car last month, I still don't find it that scary to ride in the street most of the time now, whether I'm wearing a helmet or (more frequently) not. I take various measures to increase my visibility, I signal my turns, and I follow the rules of the road including stopping at red lights. That doesn't mean that cars don't sometimes still ruin my day, but it's all part of the effort to be a responsible, respectful, and predictable user of the street. And of course, whenever it makes sense for safety or convenience's sake, you can always get off and walk on the sidewalk.

Like I said, I don't expect anything I've written here to be particularly mind-blowing to readers of this blog, but I did want to offer up one more person's experience of reintroducing cycling into her life. Anyone can do it; more people should; and I hope they do.

Mini-post: Bicycles on the brain

2010-06-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

I just saw a little sidebar ad for "Framed Wedding Invitations" and got momentarily excited because I thought it said "Frame Welding Invitations." Which I would want. Yes please, I would like to come and weld a frame!

I got a new way to walk (walk walk)

2010-06-24T11:58:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's mid-morning commute on Cambridge Street was just a mess: blocked lanes, construction, garbage trucks, city buses, moving vans, one fire truck, and stressed out drivers backed up as far as the eye could see. I was putt-putting along, sticking out my left arm to merge into the lane whenever some new obstruction would block the de facto bike lane area and gamely stopping for all the lights and traffic cops. But it was hot, humid, and too close to too many cars.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it: the sidewalk! Shady, tree-lined, peaceful-- ahhh. I suddenly remembered that I didn't have to stay on the road; I wasn't stuck on my bike the way I would be in a car. One look was all it took to convince me, and before you could say "smell ya later, street traffic!", I was hopping off and making my escape. I walked my bicycle the rest of the way, and judging by the pace of the cars I left behind, I didn't really lose any time. Just another object lesson in how much more convenient it can be to ride a bicycle in the city.

Big thanks to cycler for introducing me to my new favorite web comic, Yehuda Moon.

Ships that pass in the morning, and speak each other in passing

2010-06-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

Last night, Dottie from Let's Go Ride a Bike recounted her story of a brief but unpleasant interaction with a fellow cyclist she encountered on her morning commute. While she didn't explicitly describe this passive-aggressive fellow, for better or for worse, my mind immediately supplied the following image:

Thank you, Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary Online.

Oh, this guy. Can't we all just get along?

But it's not all bad news out there. See, I ran into him, too, on my way home this morning. Since I was coming from the gym and my legs were exhausted, I was pedaling even more slowly than usually up the barely existent hill that leads to my house. This guy was coming down the hill the opposite way (of course, not coasting!) and I caught him looking over at me as we got closer. He opened his mouth to say something, and with Dottie's story fresh in my helmetless head, I was bracing myself for some kind of disparaging remark. So what did he say as he zoomed by in all his speedracey glory?

"Nice bike!"

Oh Frida. Is there a man alive who can resist your charms?

A sweet little nothing

2010-06-22T00:11:00.001-04:00

I've already put in two official entries for Part II of the LGRAB Summer Games, so this act of Frida decoration is purely for its own sake. I had been forming elaborate plans to craft my own headbadge, with thoughts of various metals and glues and laser cutters in the works; but then a lovely package from an etsy order showed up to remind me that decorating your bicycle can be as simple as tying a bow:

It's so basic that it almost seems not worth mentioning, but I've been surprised at how happy it makes me every time I see it. It seems that J-Lo may have been right about something...

Much Madness is divinest Sense- To a discerning Eye

2010-06-21T00:54:00.003-04:00

These things are bound to happen. You go from ignorance and a lack of comprehension to gathering knowledge and developing a sense of perception and discrimination. You start to see things that would have escaped your notice in the past. Sometimes these things bring you joy... and sometimes they bring you pain.

I've never been much of a fan of "beach cruiser" style bikes. Still, coming home the other day, I was drawn over to this display in front of a local bike shop that I never visit (not a Frida kind of place):

So beachy, so cruisery; but colorful and clearly eye-catching, and I can see how people would be attracted to them. Before I started really looking at bicycles, I would have simply chalked them up as not my style and moved on. But now-- and especially after reading certain blogs-- all I can see is this:

ew!

gross!!

eww!!!

what the holy hell is going on here??!!!!

I hope none of the employees was watching me while I was photographing, because I know I was grimacing heavily and making audible gagging sounds the entire time (with a rising pitch of hysteria as I saw more of the... details). I know these things won't bother a lot of people, who might just see the flowers and the plaid and think "cute bike!"; and like I said, I probably wouldn't have paid attention earlier---- okay, except for the bizarre and horrible termination of the top tube on the blue bike (Seriously, what the eff is that? That entire area is just a cluster fuck). They're still bicycles, they'll still make someone happy, and there are many far worse things existing in this world. Right? And it's nice that a "hard core" bike shop is making an effort to carry styles for a different kind of rider.

I just need to remind myself of all of the beautiful and interesting bicycles I'm seeing for the first time. And breathe.

Night rider

2010-06-18T11:57:00.001-04:00

While there are some issues surrounding cycling safety that are clearly up for debate, nighttime visibility is really an uncontroversial Good. For those whose personal preferences tend toward the subtler end of the spectrum, then, this can seem like an area where practicality must trump style. Fluorescent triangle vests for everyone!!

But it needn't be so. Recall the lovely Cordelia:

in daylight

One of the things that attracted me to the KHS Green in the first place was that its look was so basic, so unassuming, it was as if it were trying to look like a silhouette of a bicycle. Cool. The bad thing about silhouettes though? Hard to see in the dark. So:

with flash

Here Cordelia is sporting a Bright Bikes kit in "Black Caterpillar." As you can see, what is essentially invisible in daylight becomes quite noticeable under direct light, adding a layer of safety that doesn't scream, "yooooooooo! check out all my neon fluorescent reflective decals!" The $18 kits come in a variety of colors and are super easy to apply in almost any kind of configuration you would like, so you can be as subtle or unsubtle as you please. I immediately felt more confident about riding my bike at night after I got her taped up good and intend to give Frida a similar treatment in the near future. I highly recommend checking them out.

A blushing bike

2010-06-17T01:22:00.006-04:00

Wednesday ended up being an unexpectedly stressful bicycle day, what with the sudden news of the lady Raleigh's infirmity. Fortunately, the day didn't end there. Wednesday was also the long-anticipated first meeting of my five-week bicycle maintenance class at Broadway Bicycle School here in Cambridge.

I was the second to last of seven students to arrive, and all eyes were immediately on me as soon as I rolled in the door. Okay, not me, Frida. With everyone else riding some variety of hybrid or road bike, Frida came along with her giant handlebars and full chain case, looking like some kind of beautiful alien, apparently. The room was full of questions about how the ride was and what kind of bicycle was that exactly and wow it's big, isn't it, and where did it come from again? One person actually said, "I don't think I've ever had bike envy before this!" and got an "I know!" response-- awww. I tried to keep Frida from preening too much, but I think I spotted an extra glimmer in her rear fender... After the crowd reaction, our instructor came over and gave his own version, which was more along the lines of, "I'd better take a look at this. Oh boy, this... is going to be different..."

The first class was on changing a flat and had us learning about such things as tubes and tires and bicycle nipples. Mr. BroadwayBicycleSchool mentioned the process of changing out a rear tire on a bicycle with a chain guard and internally geared hub with a distinct tone of dread; but we were only doing front tires today. Perhaps as Frida's way of making up for her "difficulty," I found it super easy to get the tire off and on and was done long, long before many of the others with their quick-release levers.


I did it! And I replaced the rim tape.

I'm sure that had a lot more to do with the particularities of our individual tires and rims and whatnot, than with any preternatural mechanical dexterity on my part, but it still felt a little good to make it look so easy in front of all the guys (plus one other girl).

Throughout the class, the nice Air Force man working on the other side of my stand kept asking me questions about how I liked the Brooks saddle and the hub brakes, and it just seemed like he was so curious about the Dutch bicycle in general. So I offered to let him test ride her after we got out. He took a little zip around the block, and when he came back, he explained that he would've gone farther except he thought he would get "too jealous" if he kept riding! So much Frida love! Then it was a quick trip to the pet store to buy some ridiculously expensive but eco-friendly cat litter (a portion of which, it turns out, was spilling out of one of my bags the entire way home; look for the trail on Cambridge Street tomorrow!), and Frida was in for the night.

Now, I don't at all mean to say that my bicycle was "the best" out of any of the others there, or that quick-release levers are "bad" and bolted-on wheels are "good." I mostly certainly had the hardest time lifting my bike onto the repair stand, for instance. But it should come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog that I've decided that my gigantic, heavy Dutch bicycle is the best bicycle for me, and I've accepted all the various trade-offs involved with bringing such a creature into my life.

She was definitely the prettiest, though.

My poor lady

2010-06-16T16:24:00.001-04:00

Bad news from the shop: lady Raleigh needs a new rear wheel.
Oh lady Raleigh, you're suddenly so much pricier.
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

The squeaky [saddle] gets the grease

2010-06-15T17:40:00.001-04:00

I'm really enjoying the Let's Go Ride a Bike Summer Games, not only for the thrill of potentially winning some truly fabulous prizes, but also because the various "challenges" provide that perfect little push to do things you might not otherwise think to do or get around to doing.

Part II: June 7-June 27: Learning Experiences
Perform a maintenance task — big or small!
Decorate your bike
Read a book about cycling
Carry a load on your bike — groceries, etc.
Test ride a different type of bike than you normally ride

Last night, I took on a (very small) maintenance task with my Brooks saddle. I'd been noticing on some of my quieter rides that the springs on this sprung saddle had been making a small racket, which I think made Frida sound like an old lady-- which she is not! After some basic googling, it seemed that a few drops of 3-in-One on all of the metal bits on the underside would clear things up... and really now, when has a little extra lube ever been a bad idea?

Normally, I would've just held a paper towel under the saddle to catch the drips and done it without taking anything apart, because I am lazy. But since this would be my official maintenance task and I wanted to be thorough, I went all the way and removed the saddle from the seat post. I'd also read that when you first get your Brooks baby, you should put a coat of Proofide on the underside to help protect it from water; which seems less of an issue when you have fenders and non-porous skirt guards, but hey, here was my chance to do it up right.

Hello, squeaky.

I used a long, thin paintbrush to help me reach some of the nooks and crannies that would otherwise have been tricky. Fairly obvious, maybe, but I still felt pretty clever and resourceful when I thought of it!

As I was sitting there lovingly spreading goo across my saddle and smelling all of the oil and grease and leather, I felt very "Charles Ingalls in Little House in the Big Woods"-- all those scenes of him coming home on winter nights to sit by the fire, greasing his bear traps and filling his gunpowder horn and repairing the leather straps on his bullet bag. The Little House books were a huge part of my childhood, and I still read the entire series an average of once a year, so this was a very comforting parallel.

Totally Ingalls style.

Now I just want to color some butter with carrot peels and eat a roasted pig's tail, and I'll be all set.

The wind beneath my wheels

2010-06-14T17:43:00.000-04:00

Follow-up regarding the Gap shorts I mentioned earlier for riding in skirts. I tried them out under my dress for the Tweed Ride (I promise to stop talking about this now), and they worked... kind of.
Here we are, riding along, with my lightweight skirt beginning to blow up and reveal the dress's lining. Still, everything's basically where it should be.

Wheee! Fun! And then every so often, this would happen:

Photos from iamtonyang's flickr album

Wheee-oooaaa! Can you read my internal monologue at this moment?

"Feeling a little naked... but I know I'm wearing shorts... I'm going to continue on as if this is entirely what I intended. Play it cool, play it cool!"

I'm glad that from the photo it does look like those are shorts and not just underpants, because it kind of felt that way. I mean, I don't think it would be Earth-shattering if my underpants were showing, but I was just a little thrown by how much less... substantial they felt in practice versus what I had imagined. I like, too, how photos from the ride reveal that I spent much of the day pedaling a bit knock-kneed-- a valiant effort to preserve my modesty, as a lady ought.

Also, the shorts tie at the waist with a ribbon drawstring, which is very cute and everything, but it means the waist won't always lie as flat as one might like under thinner fabrics. Again, not unworkable, but not ideal either.

So there you have it: another idea that is perhaps better in theory than in practice.

Speaking of cats

2010-06-13T01:34:00.002-04:00

My contribution to the Bike and Cat Gallery: This is Stella, examining my first bicycle last December.

Stella is a very photogenic cat. When she's not sniffing bicycle wheels, she enjoys such things as
posing with typewriters,

attempting camouflage,

emphatic lolling,

and most frequently, relaxing in a ladylike fashion, with paws crossed just so.

This is not what we had discussed!

2010-06-12T16:30:00.003-04:00

Self, what have you done?? Does this look like a mixte to you???

We need to talk.

Sweet and sour

2010-06-11T17:48:00.005-04:00

What is it with Jerk Season????

Today, while I was performing the intricate choreography of one way streets required to get from Point A to Point B around Harvard Square, I had my own run-in with jerkiness. I was on a two-lane one way approaching a light at one of those intersections that has a hard left, bear left, straight, and right turn.

View Larger Map

I needed to bear left, so I signaled to move out of the bike lane into rightmost lane. There was one car far behind me, and the light was just turning red, so I took the lane thinking this would be simple and obvious to all involved. But the far away car? Suddenly was bearing down behind me, accelerating toward a red light (with a very clearly marked 'no turn on red' sign), and honking insistently. It honestly seemed like he started going faster as soon as he saw there was a bike in the lane.

When he came to a stop behind me, I heard the driver shout something about, "use the friggin' bike lane, lady." I kind of awkwardly half-turned over my shoulder and called back (not as calmly as I might have hoped) that, "I'm turning left-- this is what I'm supposed to do!" There was some more unintelligible shouting, when the couple in the car stopped in the other lane starting yelling, too, and I thought, "Oh great, more?"

But no! The Nice Couple were shouting, so that everyone could hear, "We're with you on the bicycle! You're doing the right thing!" As I was thanking them, Aggro Driver screamed again about "you have your own lane, dumbass!", and the Nice Couple kindly shot back, "She's supposed to be in the lane to turn left!"

Aggro Driver gave a few, now slightly halfhearted grumble-shouts; the light turned green; and A.D. had to wait approximately 2 seconds for me to push off toward the left before he made his (very fast) right turn.

I've read so much recently about the abuse taken by law-abiding cyclists, so it's clearly widespread and not specific to me. But. I can't help but wonder: while I do stand behind my fashion choices and my right to wear whatever the hell I want to, today I happened to be wearing a big, ribboned headband and pink Mary Janes, a combination that doesn't exactly scream "Formidable Adult Adversary;" and I was riding a loop frame bicycle with colorful, flowery bags in my rear baskets. Now in all likelihood, Mr. Aggro would have acted exactly the same way if I were a man riding a road bike... but I sometimes can't help but feel that when I look more superficially "feminine," male drivers in particular might feel more able or more entitled to act out their aggressions toward me. Certainly, I would appear to be in less of a position to object than, say, a giant muscle-y man who might threaten physical violence in response to verbal abuse. I suppose this just may be an added layer of ickiness on the already uneven power relationship between those on bicycles and those safely ensconced inside two-ton steel boxes.

They should watch out, though-- carrying Frida up and down the porch steps is starting to give me really big guns.

Kind of blue

2010-06-10T23:40:00.001-04:00

First off, in case any of you have been wondering, Frida is not a trashcan!

How rude! It's true that this particular stretch of Harvard's campus does not have any trashcans right there, if you walk 30 seconds in almost any direction (as I did shortly after taking this photo), you will find one. I normally don't leave the rear baskets unfolded when I park, but the bike rack I use has been so deserted now that school is out, and plus it was raining that day so it was even emptier; so I just left the basket open. But this kind of thing (who does this? really!) does encourage one to continue the habit even when it would seem otherwise unnecessary...

The other thing I noticed on the way home was that I was surrounded by blue mixtes! Observe:

Blue mixte #1

Blue mixte #2

And blue mixte #3

Which was right next to blue mixte #2

These last two caught my eye as I was riding home. I just had to pull over and walk my bike back a few blocks to take a closer look. They were right on top of each other, so it was tough to get a good look at either of them individually-- especially the outer one, with its delightfully unmatched mish-mosh of blue rims and tires and bright blue handlebar tape and blue Knog light! I really wanted to cross the street to get a better shot of it, but it was starting to be rush hour, and there were just too many cars going by. More to the point, probably, I am a terribly impatient (and accordingly, poor) photographer (working with a camera phone, no less).

Frida retreats behind a tree, jealous of these mixte buddies and their blue camaraderie.

The outer one is a Peugeot, and the inner one had a Lotus headbadge. They both look well-used and well-loved, and beautiful in their own individual ways. I'm glad I decided to stop and turn around to look at them instead of just continuing on my way home. Maybe this is all I need, mixte-wise, for the time being.

Spreading the word

2010-06-09T13:46:00.002-04:00

The last time my little sister and her boyfriend came to visit me from Brooklyn, we had many discussions about Frida, the merits and joys of cycling, and the beauty of vintage bicycles. Neither of them has had a bike since they were in middle school (at least my sister hasn't, for sure), and I was encouraging them to start again. Well, today, I got this in my email:

J__ and I got bikes today! well, we put money down for them at Recycle-a-Bicycle and we will be bringing them home next week. I got a black Phillips step-through (made in England, merged with Raleigh in the 70's?) and James got a black Triumph man-bike (also made in England and was bought up by Raleigh). Both are from the early 70's and look totally cute together. James almost got a Peugeot mixte, but the one they had was a bit too messed up. Our bike place didn't have as many cool looking old bikes and mixtes as the Cambridge Antiques Market, but we were at least able to find these two gems once we went to their warehouse (after being disappointed with what they had in their shops). We're both getting coaster brakes put on at the warehouse and James' bike still needs be reconditioned, so we can't have them just yet :( . But now we're looking for bike accessories! How do you like your bike lock? Is it a standard u-lock or a long one? Kryptonite? Now I have to think about bells, lights, racks, baskets - eek.

Hooray! I cannot wait to see pictures of the new additions to my bicycle extended family!

Bicycles are awesome

2010-06-08T22:00:00.002-04:00

Putting mixte madness aside, yesterday I had a night that reminded me how great it is to have a bicycle at all.

For starters, instead of walking to the laundromat that's about half a mile from my apartment, I figured out that Frida can comfortably hold about 2-3 smallish loads of laundry between the rear baskets and rack. While the total amount of time it takes to load/unload/lock up/etc. is probably equal to (or even a little greater than) the time it would take to walk, it was so much more pleasant to zip over with Frida shouldering the load instead of... my shoulders shouldering it! The other bonus was that where I would normally kill time at the nearby cafe (which is also enjoyable), I was able to use the washing and drying times to ride to the farther-away grocery store that carries the brand of ginger beer I like and then aimlessly toodle around on the neighborhood side streets for the fun of it. I think I may be taking Frida on laundry runs from now on.

Even better, though, was when I got home and decided I suddenly wanted to make a late night run to Target. This used to be something that would require a bus or a Zipcar-- i.e., money and time and a particular schedule-- but with a bicycle? I could just go. There's something about a summer night that tends to make you feel free anyway; add in a nighttime bike ride sailing along mostly empty streets, and it feels acutely pleasurable to be alive.

It was nice, too, to come out of the store at 11:10PM and see that a few other people had the same idea.

One of these things is not like the others...

Now all they need is some carrying capacity-- I guess it was messenger bags for everyone? The two ladies who belonged to the middle two bikes came out as I was preparing to wheel away, and I caught them stealing envious glances at Frida's commodious baskets! Maybe inspiring someone to have new insights on the merits of owning a big, heavy bicycle??

That's right: workin' hard and lookin' good.

On a decidedly less than awesome note, I saw a craigslist post today about a bicycle stolen right outside the Design School at Harvard. As this is one of Frida's more common locales, I find the report particularly disturbing.... But I suppose at least it makes my new U-lock + cable lock + rear wheel lock + Brooks-hiding shower cap system seem less paranoid.

Oh noes!

2010-06-08T13:56:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: Remaining strong in my resolution not to purchase a bicycle right now. (I think...? Oh, gah.)

Third Sunday: Avant moi, le deluge

2010-06-07T12:39:00.004-04:00

After the storms subsided yesterday evening, I was itching to get out of my stuffy apartment and into the open air. So the Bat and I took to the Charles River bike path once again, passing a few spectacularly downed tree branches on the way [not pictured]. Everything had that after-the-rain, super saturated feel to it, which was especially nice as the sun was setting.

It was really good to get out, and the bike path was empty enough that I felt okay about posing Frida for some beauty shots next to the puddles. (I was also really enjoying riding straight through the giant lakes of water that everyone else was avoiding, lifting my feet off the pedals to keep my feet dry and also to make it more fun.)

Happily, Cordelia's new owner, C, was able to join me for a little zip along the river. She was wearing such a bright and adorable blue and red outfit and told me that she's been really big on cycling in skirts.

We stopped at one of those outdoor workout stations, which was right next to another huge fallen tree branch [not pictured]. It had this fun, springy/spongy ground material and some ellipticals that seemed more like swings for your feet than anything exercise-y. There were two girls there already, playing on the various contraptions, so we chatted a bit while I photographed Cordelia and Frida together again. One of them was doing some impressive somersaults in the background!

It was getting surprisingly chilly and windy, so we headed off to my favorite cafe to warm up-- ! in June! I love warming up though, much more than sweating out.

The streets were so quiet and empty, and the air felt somehow full of mystery...

... but inside was cozy and full of good things to eat and drink.

We stopped for frozen yogurt afterward, but it was so cold by that point (both in the air-conditioned shop and outside) that we decided to head home. So I took mine to go.

I'm going to say this officially counts for the Let's Go Ride a Bike Summer Games Part 2: carry a load on your bike!

8 reasons why I shouldn't buy a mixte

2010-06-06T18:46:00.004-04:00

1. I just bought a brand new, beautiful, and expensive bicycle.
2. Rear derailleur? What?

don't want to buy

3. I don't know how to use those little thumb shifters (and see #2 above).
4. I like riding slowly, especially now that it's summer/sweaty time. So I don't need a sportier bike.

not interested

5. Where would I put it? My apartment is small; Frida is large; and I'm increasingly distrustful of the bike storage in my building's front hallway as the front door's lock seems to be constantly malfunctioning, i.e. not locking at all.
6. I don't want to hurt Frida's feelings or make her think she is less special to me.

mixtes are stupid

7. I'm still new to bicycles and still figuring out what I like and don't like, so it would be premature for me to be making more purchases, especially of a kind of bike that I don't know much about.
8. I enjoy daily scanning of craigslist to see if there are any interesting bicycles, and if I bought another one now, I would really have no reason to do so.

Yeah! That's right!
Any others?

It's a twister!

2010-06-06T16:27:00.001-04:00

Tornado watches in Massachusetts? Hmm, maybe no cycling tonight...

PS Miss Gulch has a pretty nice loop frame there!

Safe harbors and mysterious bikes

2010-06-05T12:05:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, I had to take Frida deep into East Cambridge for the first time. She was kind of freaked out about being left by herself outside in a strange new setting after spending so much of her young life within the rarefied bounds of Harvard Yard, so I did a quick survey of available parking options and sought out the safest-looking, most populated among them. There was a a nice little pedestrian way leading off the street that was well stocked with bicycle racks and bicycles, so I wheeled Frida over to one of the rearmost racks, which also had the most Frida-friendly bikes attached to it.

Here you can see she is being kept company by a cruiser-style mixte (more on this in a bit), a men's KHS Green (which immediately calmed her down!), and a very dapper charcoal and honey diamond frame bike whose saddle and handlebar tape matched Frida's handbag perfectly. Here she is snuggling up close to his reassuring and color-coordinating figure:

Not only was his casual handsomeness soothing, but there was also this:

See, Frida? Chillax already!

Now, the mixte [Q: is it still a mixte if the top tubes don't connect directly to the rear axle?]. This was a strange one.

We've got: wide, almost Dutch-style handlebars; a twin-tube mixte frame with a delicate yet cruiser-ish swoop; huge, super-nubby mountain bike-type tires, with one fender on the front tire only; a vaguely 1950s-feeling partial chain guard; some kind of crazy, giant spring thing by the front rack; and nary an identifying mark to be found. What to make of this idiosyncratic fellow? I really didn't know, but I left him a note before heading inside:

Part 1 of the Let's Go Ride a Bike Summer Games: Social Cycling>> leave a friendly note on a bike.

(I was taking these with the camera on my phone, so I'm just going to call the reverse focus on the last one "artsy.")

When I got back, it was dark, the mixte and diamond frame were gone, and Frida was sitting there quietly and calmly, ready to head home after a long but pleasant day.

Good mornings

2010-06-04T10:48:00.004-04:00

The first thing I heard as I was about to pull into the street with Frida this sunny Friday morning?

"Margonaute?"

Wouldn't you know it, somervillain was right there in the street in front of my house! I wasn't quite sure how best to negotiate a busy bike lane + morning rush hour + inter-bicycle communication, but we did get to chat briefly for a block or so before we turned our separate ways. What a pleasant way to start the day!

Just one more example of how bicycles make life a little bit sweeter...

Critical mass

2010-06-03T23:22:00.005-04:00

[photos courtesy iamtonyang's flickr]

As I look back at all the wonderful Tweed Ride photos that continue to materialize (and probably also as a reaction to my recent bicycle-car accident), I've been reflecting a bit on the practice of cycling in the city. One thing that made the Tweed Ride so enjoyable, aside from the fun fashions and the vintage bicycles and the beautiful day, was that it felt so safe.

When there are enough cyclists, you begin to feel you have just as much right to the road, just as much presence, as the motorists.

When there are enough cyclists, you feel safe taking the lane and making a left turn just like a car would, without getting yelled at.

When there are enough cyclists, it's tough for cars to ignore the logic of passing at an appropriate distance, for everyone's safety.

When there are enough cyclists, even gigantic, scary buses can't help but notice you are there.

It would be really nice

if there were enough bikes

every day of the year.

From somervillain's flickr.

Lovely times

2010-06-03T10:45:00.011-04:00

Last night, I had a bicycle date with Velouria from Lovely Bicycle!, and as she details on her blog, it was lovely indeed. It was a strange and wonderful experience to see Eustacia (and Velouria!) up close and personal after following the blog for the past months, with the scales tipping over to the 'wonderful' side, naturally.

Photo from Lovely Bicycle!

As you can see, I did take a quick ride on the Pashley. How could I resist? It was a very short 60-second spin, at least in part because I felt a little bit less sure of myself on this new-to-me bike. As Velouria mentioned, the saddle probably could've been a bit higher for me, and her handlebars are set much lower than mine. Even though I looked quite upright on the Pashley, I felt a distinct forward lean in comparison to my Fryslan. If you look at the photo from last night compared to one from Monday's Tweed Ride, you can see that on Frida, I'm sitting up completely straight and my arms are bent almost at 90 degrees to my body (especially when compared to the other bikes in that photo!):

From Lovely Bicycle!

From Albert's picasa album

I think my riding position on the Pashley is similar to what I had with my KHS Green, but there too, the position of the handlebars was different: those angled slightly up where Eustacia's are angled noticeably downward. As my own personal preference, I like/have grown used to the very stately, upright posture of my Fryslan, but the downside is that it's definitely not one that's suited for speed. I compare cycling on Frida to riding a grand ocean liner-- smooth, stable, and slow-- whereas Eustacia did feel like it could be sportier and nimbler [V: has the Pashley ever been described as sporty or nimble before? :-) I guess emphasis is on the "-ER"!]. I think the Fryslan's longer wheelbase and larger wheels also add to the ocean liner handling when compared to the Pashley.

Another contributing factor was that the Pashley's handlebars are simply narrower than the wide, squared-off handlebars of the Dutch Fryslan. I like the way my wide bars feel 95% of the time, but for those moments when I want to pass between stopped and parked cars to move up to a light, or when I'm trying to maneuver both self and bike through doorways, they can feel a bit oversized. I like to think of Frida's handlebars as acting like a cat's whiskers, though-- they'll make sure she never enters a space that's too narrow for her! (Eustacia may just be a skinnier cat, of course.)

Obviously, none of this is to say that one of these bikes is better than the other-- how could anyone make such a choice?!-- but they do feel measurably different, especially with Velouria's particular modifications. I would be curious to try a Pashley that was set up to fit me a bit better (perhaps even a larger frame size?) to see what a more direct comparison would be like. I continue to be surprised at how much difference just a few inches or degrees can make in determining a bicycle's comfort for oneself. The moral is test, test, test!

It was the loveliest of evenings, and I think all four ladies had a very nice time together.

More tweed

2010-06-02T09:45:00.003-04:00

First of all: I finally have a photo of Frida and me in motion! Hooray!

From Albert's picasa album

So many great Tweed Ride photos are popping up all over the place. Some of my favorites are over on davidmorrisflickr's album. Par exemple:

So dreamy!

I love my love with an F...

2010-06-01T10:15:00.002-04:00

... because she is so fetching. I hate her with an F because she is no flyweight. Her name is Frida; she lives in Front Hallway; I feed her on fresh air and flowers.

Tweed Ride!

2010-05-31T20:49:00.006-04:00

My first group ride was such fun! The weather ended up being much cooler and more pleasant than I'd expected, and it was just a joy to be cycling through our beautiful city/cities on such a sunny, breezy Memorial Day. Lots of bell-ringing and (very!) slow pedaling that allowed for spontaneous inter-bike conversations. My pal Y and I had to peel off a bit early and so missed the pub stop and end-point picnic, but it was still nice to socialize, however briefly, with our fellow cyclists.

Unfortunately, I'm terrible about remembering to take photos at special events, so at the moment, I can only show you what Y and I wore. I know there will be more photos coming up from other sources, so perhaps I will steal a few links in the days to come.

But we look good, right?
(Answer: Yes, we do!)

Oh, and I also got to meet Cycler from Biking in Heels and Somervillain (note: does not look like Curious George in person!) from Boston Retro Wheelmen, both sporting very enviable vintage rides. Don't feel bad for Frida, though, as she had many fans of her own! I just hope it doesn't go to her head...

LGRAB Summer Games, Part 1: Social Cycling

Second Sunday

2010-05-30T12:16:00.001-04:00

I just missed the chance to photograph these guys swimming in their neat little line, goslings flanked fore and aft by their larger guardians. But it was also sweet how the two grownups carefully ushered them up onto the riverbank. It's enough to make you forgive them for leaving their poo all over the path where it constantly threatens to besmirch a pair of lovely cream tires.

On a side note, I think what I find most difficult to understand about fixed-gear bicycles in how anyone could willingly give up the ability to coast. Being able to just sit back and relax as you sail down a hill effortlessly, listening to the whir of your wheels-- who doesn't like that?

Lady fingers

2010-05-29T03:23:00.001-04:00

In my excitement over Monday's upcoming Tweed Ride, I may have ordered a pair of vintage crocheted gloves to be overnighted from etsy...

(The best part is the buttons, obviously.)

By the way, whose bright idea was it to have a tweed ride in Boston at the end of May? Never mind; in my head, it will be a linen and lace ride. And I may bring a bottle of Pimm's.

Keep it under your skirt

2010-05-28T06:39:00.002-04:00

I've seen various recommendations for how to deal with riding in short or flowy skirts on breezy days. Here's my latest solution, via the Gap (note: I'm finding the longer I live around Harvard Square, the more my wardrobe ends up coming from the Gap, mostly because I am lazy about shopping and the Gap is always right there. I'm not sure how I feel about this):

These are the lace-trimmed modal shorts. They come in a few different solid colors and are super light and soft and breathable. Depending what size you get, I find they look sort of like vintage tap pants (i.e., totally cute), and they do a good job of lying nicely under a lot of different fabrics-- the modal is smooth and slippery, but without having that all-manmade materials feel to it. Plus, they're cute enough that if your skirt does fly all the way up, you can pedal on with confidence!

Your own personal bike lane

2010-05-27T09:55:00.004-04:00

How cool is this? The LightLane "personal bike path": a bike lane created by lasers attached to a rear LED light. It's still being developed (in Boston, yay!), as of reports from last summer, but I love the idea and would be happy to see it in stores.

Here's a video of a prototype being tested on urban streets, which does a good job of showing how this might work under a variety of typical lighting conditions.

LGRAB Summer Games Round 1: Social Cycling

2010-05-26T08:59:00.002-04:00

May 17-June 6: Social Cycling
Go on a group ride
Leave a nice note on a bike, or say hi to a cyclist at a red light
Schedule a bike date with a friend or partner — dress up!
Recruit a non-biking friend for a ride
Ride with your family

The afternoon of my accident, I ran into this adorable man with his adorable baby girl and adorable BMX bike. They all looked so darn adorable that I asked if they wouldn't mind pulling over and letting me take their picture:

See?? How great are they?! He seemed tickled by the suggestion and didn't mind the interruption at all. This was the first time I've ever really given more than a quick, "hey" to a fellow cyclist, and it felt nice-- especially after such a difficult cycling day!

That same day, I was waiting to walk my bike through a crosswalk by Harvard Yard when I noticed I was pulling my Fryslan up to a red Batavus Old Dutch! The owner smiled and said, "A nice choice," and we chatted on our walk through the Yard as our Bats rolled side-by-side (honestly, I think Frida was comforted to see a relative on such a traumatic day). It turns out, the guy was actually from the Netherlands, doing a chemistry post-doc at Harvard, and he'd just purchased his bike from Quad Bikes the previous week. He agreed that these bikes were built tuff and was unsurprised at how well Frida handled the crash. I didn't get his name or photo, but on my way home, I saw his bike parked outside the Science Center-- next time I'll leave a note! Our Bats can be buddies!

Batavus Takes a Licking!

2010-05-25T17:06:00.008-04:00

So here's how it all went down: I was minding my own business, riding my bicycle up Cambridge Street around 7:30 this morning. About two blocks from Harvard Yard, I was approaching a side street where an oncoming car was preparing to turn left. I slowed down a bit to make sure the driver would wait to let me pass and then proceeded to pedal onward. Except it turns out, the driver decided not to wait after all. There was a split second where I could see it happening and was thinking, "Wait, this is no good!" and I thought I might just be able to clear the car; but it ended up clipping my rear wheel and knocking us both over. I fell back, mostly on my elbows, comme ca:

Really, they look worse than they feel (but they do make me look kind of badass, no?). Anyway, a few people on the sidewalk rushed over to help me with my bike and scattered shoes and things, and the cops directing construction traffic a block away came right over. They even called an ambulance, which while really unnecessary, was also the first time I've ever seen the inside of an emergency vehicle. The girl driving the car, who was maybe a little bit younger than I am, was beside herself. I know I would be too. Hitting a cyclist while driving is one of my worst nightmares, and I can completely understand how she felt. She said the sun was in her eyes, and all it takes is that one second when you're not quite paying attention.

My main concern from the first moment was for the Fryslan! The brand new, purchased-on-Friday, gorgeous Fryslan. I was terrified.

I am pleased to report, however, that everything you've heard about the sturdiness and strength of these Dutch city bikes is true. The only damage was cosmetic, and really, her paint was barely scratched. Some faint-to-medium scuffs along the left side, scraped rubber on the left handlebar grip (which I was hoping to replace anyway), and the right skirt guard came loose and lost one of its clips. It's now secured with a zip tie, which is pretty unobtrusive:

The main two areas that got slightly bent out of shape were the two stays (?) holding the rear rack on the left side and also the rear fender.

In this one, you can kind of see also where the stay (or whatever) on the left side bends inward toward the bottom compared to the one on the right.

I took her back to Quad Bikes for a checkup, and they confirmed that nothing was structurally wrong. The guys were impressed with the Frys's sturdy steel construction and said the frame performed as well as it could have in a collision with a car. Someone also mentioned that since the bike was brand new, it may be possible to get replacement costs from the driver's insurance company, which would be pretty nice. The thing is, the cosmetic damages don't really bother me-- I think they add to Frida's (I'm calling her Frida, because I think it sounds strong) character and are a sign of her resilience. But, they're things that aren't really fixable/if I wanted the bike back to pre-accident condition, I would more or less have to buy a new bike. In any case, I took photos of all the scratches and scrapes (on the bicycle and on myself), and we'll see how it turns out.

Incidentally, I wasn't wearing my helmet. I always wear it at night, because I put big reflective stripes on it, or in the cold or rain; but otherwise, I really prefer to go without. Part of the joy of riding my bicycle is the feeling of freedom it gives you, with the wind blowing in your hair and the sun shining on your face. But everyone I've spoken to today is adamant that I wear the helmet all the time now, and it seems hard to argue.... Sigh.

After lunch, Frida and I took a well deserved rest in the shade of the Radliffe Quad. This was kind of a bonding experience for us, but a somewhat tiring one.

Thanks go out to the passersby on Cambridge Street, Officers Mahoney and Douglas, Brian the EMT, and Dave + other guy whose name I didn't get at Quad Bikes, who never seem to want to charge me for their services (I always go for the tip jar though).

Nuts

2010-05-25T11:04:00.002-04:00

The Frys and I got hit by a car this morning in Cambridge. Luckily, we both made it away with just minor cosmetic damage, and I am newly impressed with the tank-like nature of the Batavus. The full story still to come!

On the plus side, I'm having a pretty good hair day.

Something old, something new

2010-05-24T23:39:00.007-04:00

I'm preparing myself to say goodbye to my "first" bicycle: the first since 1994; the first that wasn't only ridden on the sidewalk; the first that was as much about getting around in my everyday life as it was about going for rides on weekends. Here she is, the lovely Cordelia (as in, "Will you please call me Cordelia?") (PS I've been to Green Gables, and it is totally awesome):

The KHS Green was an ideal starter bike for me-- affordable, extremely low-maintenance, easy to ride, and tough enough to withstand all the snow and rain and gunk I could throw at her. No muss, no fuss, and good-looking to boot. The M on her head badge stands for 'Manhattan,' but I always liked to think it was meant to match my name.

I also very much enjoyed the process of fixing her up with all kinds of lights and baskets, U-lock cozies and fancy saddles. The latter items are staying with me, but otherwise, Cordelia will leave nicely equipped. Let's see that face:

As sad as I am to see her go, I am so, so happy to be handing her over to my friend C. This bicycle improved my quality of life dramatically, and it just makes it that much better to be able to pass along the gift to a friend. Also, it would be sad to send Cordelia off to some unknown stranger who might not end up loving her.

I do, of course, have the still-unnamed Fryslan to comfort me in her absence.

Hello, pretty lady! You need some baskets! Here's another look at the slapdash handlebar bag, made from an old leather purse of my mom's:

And the bell has a cute little bike-riding couple stamped on it:

Here are the two ladies, saying their goodbyes:

Oh come on, don't be shy!

There we go!

Fryslan's First Sunday

2010-05-23T16:23:00.014-04:00

This morning, I took Fryslan* out for coffee and the crossword. The elastic straps on her rear rack were perfect for holding the Sunday NY Times safely and securely to our destination. Here's how she looked once we arrived:

Very stately, even with an old leather purse slapped on as a makeshift handlebar bag.

Before we made it to breakfast, though, there was a minor tire mishap. I wanted to check on the tire pressure before I left the house this morning, so I went to the front wheel, unscrewed the little rubber cap, and --WHOOSH!-- all the air blasted out of the tire. It seems I'd accidentally also undone the metal nut underneath the rubber cap. But looking at the little pieces I had in my hand, I was really confused. See, I know there are generally two kinds of valves on bicycle tires:

What I had going on didn't look like either of these. It was as narrow as a Presta valve but didn't have the pin thing sticking out of the top. Some minutes of googling later, I was led to believe that what I had was a Woods or Dunlop valve, which apparently is rare in the US and looks something like this:

After replacing the nut, I was kind of able to get some air back into the tire, but the pump clearly wasn't able to form a proper seal on the valve, and I couldn't get any reading on the pressure. It was good enough to ride over to Ace Wheelworks, though, and I made it over there right after they opened at noon-- along with almost every other cyclist in the Cambridge/Somerville area, it seemed. Despite the mad rush, I was able to talk to someone within a few minutes. He identified my valve as "a kind of European version of the Presta" (okay?), and after a little searching, he 1) declared that there was no pump in the entire shop that would fit, and 2) realized he had lost the metal nut for my valve so there was no way it would be able to hold air anyway. So what ended up happening is he replaced the tube and valve, leaving me with this on the front tire:

(a basic Schrader, with no rubber cap for me, I guess.)

and then on the back tire, he just left everything alone, like so:

I guess it's back to Quad Bikes on Monday to see if they can give me any more insights into the mysterious valve and/or just replace it with a Schrader** so it matches the front (maybe with an extra rubber cap!).

Ah well. I figure these getting-acquainted hiccups will just make us closer in the end, right?

* I'm still contemplating names. At first, I was trying Frieda-- Frieda the Fryslan-- but the more I typed it, the more it looked like "Fried A," which isn't great. Going the e-less route didn't help as much as you would think. So just Fryslan for now.

** Honestly, I didn't know any of these names before this morning. Did I fool you into believing otherwise?

Oh how nice-ycle!

2010-05-23T05:27:00.007-04:00

Last week, I was meeting a friend for coffee at Simon's on Mass Ave. My bike was parked directly out front, but I was sitting way at the back and so was unable to gaze lovingly at my ride while I sipped my coffee. It was one of those relentlessly rainy days we've been having, and I'd ridden over all kitted out in my brimmed helmet and bright yellow rain boots, which coincidentally have super reflective stripes around the tops. That, plus the fact that the soles are thinner and easier to pedal in than my more extreme knee-high French Wellies, have made them my go-to rainy day cycling shoes:

(By the way, when searching for this image, I found these, also Tretorns:

Rain wedges! How cute!)

The whole point of this story is that while I got my person all prepped for the weather, I somehow forgot to do the same for my (newish) Brooks B67 after I'd parked my bike! Lucky for me, the nice barista who was taking out the trash at the end of the night saw my poor, unprotected saddle and was kind of enough to pull out the shower cap* I keep tucked in there and cover it up. Maybe he saw me ride up when I came, but somehow he guessed the bike belonged to me and let me know everything was all right. Wasn't that nice?? My bum especially appreciated it on the ride home.

*I don't know why more people don't use shower caps as saddle protectors. They're designed to be waterproof, they have an elastic band built in so they'll fit snugly without any effort or elaborate knotting, you can get one for a dollar or two, and they look so much nicer than plastic grocery bags.

ZOMGSqueeeeeeeeeeeee!

2010-05-21T00:44:00.008-04:00

Q: What has 5 speeds, 28" wheels with cream tires, a rear coaster brake, full fenders, skirt guard, and a genuine Dutch pedigree?

A: My new bicycle!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Holy fiets. A 30% off sale on Batavus at Quad Bikes and a 6-month-long Dutch bike lust do not go well together------ OR maybe they go together perfectly?

More to come?